What a Fantastic Life
by Die Flow
Summary: The Doctor gets to witness the life that Rose and Jonathan have made for themselves. I've recently edited some chapters to reflect what's going on with canon, as it would have conflicted with where my story was going. Specifically, chap's 6.7.8, & 11.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Doctor took a deep breath and took the TARDIS into the Time Vortex, nowhere in particular. He wanted to just disappear and do nothing for awhile. He leaned against the console and gently caressed his ship while a few tears trailed down his face. "So much loss, how can I go on like this?" he asked her, and then blurted out bitterly, "I wish I could just die and be done with it all. I lose everyone, one way or another. _Everyone_." He remembered he had aspirin on board for the use of whichever companion happened to be along with him. He wasn't sure how many regenerations he had left, did the last one count? But he could just keep taking the drug until death was final. His ship groaned in sympathy and love, pointing out that she was still here. "Yes, you are," he smiled. "Just you and me then. But I miss her so." The TARDIS knew whom he meant. "Do you think she's happy?" His ship sent a gentle breeze through his hair, much like a mother tousling her son's head. "I hope you're right. I hope I did the right thing. It seemed like the best thing to do at the time. They did say they were happy when I phoned them. I hope they still are." He yawned. "I think I'm going to go to bed for awhile. To sleep, perchance to dream." He plodded wearily to his bedchamber, disrobed, and climbed in. He hadn't felt this tired in a long, long time. He immediately fell fast asleep.

His ship mulled over the situation thoughtfully. She didn't like how depressed he was getting lately, nor the direction his thoughts were taking him. She consulted with the bit of the Time Vortex she carried within her. What to do? It answered back, "Let us take care of this."

As the Time Lord slept, a golden being formed beside the bed, and sat down upon it next to him. It gently stroked his brow, then laid down beside him, then entered him. He cried out, then laughed gently in his sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter1

The Doctor woke and sat up with a start. He looked around him wildly, the setting looked foreign but strangely familiar. He was in someone's backyard, it was night-time. There was a woman sitting next to him. She turned to look at him, and laughed. "Hello, Grandfather!"

The Doctor gasped, recognizing her, but not believing his own eyes. "You can't be Susan! Susan died on Gallifrey!"

"Yes, I did," she acknowledged, "but physical death is not final. You should have suspected that by now." Her tone was almost reproachful.

The Doctor shook his head. "This is a dream, it can't be real."

"Oh, can't it?" She leaned forward and planted a tender kiss upon his cheek. She moved closer and took his hands in her cool ones. "Does this feel like a dream, Grandfather?"

"No," he acknowledged, "it feels very real. But it can't be, you're dead."

She closed her eyes and shimmered briefly, then stated, "Within the Time Vortex, anything is possible. Please believe that I am real, and that I have been sent to help you."

"Help me what?" the Time Lord asked distrustfully.

"Help you appreciate your life, your losses, and the future that they all enable. For you, and for the whole of Creation."

"First tell me who you are, really. Then maybe we'll talk." he retorted.

"I am the essence of Susan, and of everyone else you have ever known, or will ever know. I am part of the Time Vortex. I am here to help you."

"Sure you are," he agreed, "and I am a Dalek. Nice to meet you!"

The laugh that emanated from her was merry and genuine. "You haven't changed a bit, Grandfather!" She stood up and held out her hand. "Walk with me."

He stood up and looked down his nose at her. "And where are we going?"

"Just up to the house to peek in the windows."

"That's so rude!"

"Like you've never done it before!" she retorted. "Just humor me."

"What if we're seen?"

"We won't be," she promised, "we are just slightly out-of-sync with their reality."

"Like a perception filter?" he asked.

"Precisely!" she agreed.

He followed her up to the house, and it came to him where they were, the Tyler mansion in the alternate Universe. "What are we doing here?" he asked.

"You'll see," she promised.

He followed her up an arbor to a second-story landing and they peered into the window. Inside the room he saw himself, or more properly, his clone, sitting on the bed. Rose entered the room and sat upon the bed with him. They talked, and he saw his clone touch her face, clearly initiating a mind-link.

"What's he doing?" he asked in horror, it was a rhetorical question, but he couldn't help himself, he shuddered to think that his clone was doing what he thought he was doing...

"He's doing something you should have done long ago," Susan replied, "he's sharing his life with her."

"You mean _my_ life!" The Time Lord exploded, "And he has no bloody right to! If I wanted her to know those things I'd have shared them with her myself!"

"Watch and learn." Susan advised. After a time, the clone and Rose separated, both with tears streaming down their faces, she running out of the room.

"See! What did I tell you? She _hates_ me!"

"Really? Are you sure?" Susan asked. She lifted her wrist, which had a watch on it. "Check it out, Grandfather," she advised, then turned the watch hands forward. Time rushed forward, and they watched Rose return, place something in the nightstand, cast off her dressing gown, and crawl into bed with his clone. "Is that the act of someone who hates you, Grandfather?" Susan asked.

"She may not hate him, he's just my clone. He didn't do it. _I_ did. How can she not hate me? _I_ hate me!"

He jumped off the landing and fled into the night.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter2

He woke up with a start, sweat pouring off of him. He glanced around his bedchamber to make sure he was really there. "Rassilon, that was so _real_!" He took a deep breath, and tried to calm his hearts. He checked the time, barely an hour had passed. No wonder he didn't feel refreshed. Some cocoa should help. He got up, put a dressing gown on (silently wondering why, since no one else was aboard, and the TARDIS didn't care...) and padded off to the galley to make himself a cuppa.

As he sat in the galley sipping his cocoa, he contemplated his dream. He was, of course, intelligent enough to realise that such dreams were simply the unconscious manifestations of his actual concerns.

"She's happy," he said aloud, to no one in particular, "she told me so. Time to think about something else." And so he tried to. He concentrated on the time-lines swirling around in his mind and could find nothing amiss. He listened to his TARDIS and could find nothing that required any tinkering with. Finally he felt himself growing tired again. "Good," he thought, "A nice nap will set me right again."

He padded back to his bedchamber and climbed into bed. Before long, he was fast asleep.

He woke up in yet another back yard, it was evening. He looked to his side and saw a woman. "OK, Susan – should I call you Susan? What now?"

The woman turned to face him, her face illuminated by the fading sunset. It took his breath away. "_Romana?!_"

She smiled sweetly at him. "Doctor! How you've changed! You're actually physically attractive this time around. How pleasant!"

He shook his head. "I know you are simply the manifestations of my thoughts. If I think hard enough, I'll wake up in my bedchamber, and you'll be gone."

"Why then go ahead and do it," she replied, the sarcasm dripping from each word. "Get rid of me, if you think you can."

He tried. He really did. He pinched himself until he was sure he'd left a bruise. He slapped himself, hard enough to have done Jackie Tyler proud. Nothing happened. He looked at Romana wearily. "Alright, where are we?"

"Are you talking philosophically or geographically?"

He rolled his eyes. "Both."

"We're at Rose and Jonathan's new home. They're just about ready to take their first tour. Shall we watch?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

Suddenly they were in the master bedroom. Rose walked into the room, stared at the wall, and gasped. The Doctor looked where she was staring, and gasped as well. "Bad Wolf," he read.

"Sshh..." said Romana, "watch and listen."

He watched events play out in front of them. He was a little relieved to see that Rose hadn't been embellishing when she said the Bad Wolf had communicated to her that it had helped to create Jonathan and that things were meant to be the way they were. But when Jon proposed, he was a little shocked, "He stole that gem from me!"

"What do you care?" Romana asked, "You got it for her, then put it away. You wouldn't even know he had it if we weren't right here, right now."

"I'd have missed it eventually!" he said defensively. But he knew she was right.

Suddenly they were out in the yard, eavesdropping on Jon and Rose's evening conversation. Romana remarked, "She really is a brilliant young woman. I can see why you chose her."

The Doctor nodded. "I always knew there was something about her, something very special, but I could never quite put my finger on it."

"She's very perceptive," Romana observed, "and very selfless. That's why the Time Vortex interacted with her the way it did. Her motives for looking into it were pure."

The Doctor arched an eyebrow. "I wouldn't call putting things in motion to create my clone an unselfish act."

"Actually, it was. Both of them are necessary to your future. And you are necessary to Creation."

"'Creation' implies a 'Creator'. Are you telling me she's right about the Time Vortex being God?"

Romana smiled at him in the starlight. "That isn't for you to know right now. Let's move forward, shall we?" They moved forward in time to a remarkably sunny day in the same backyard. It was a festive occasion, with flowers, ribbons, and balloons, and a quartet was playing. People were in formal wear. It was Jon and Rose's wedding day. Romana took the Doctor's hand and they walked near the gathering of people. They watched as Pete led Rose down the aisle, a small girl bore flowers and a young boy bore the ring.

"That must be Tony," the Doctor whispered. Rose and Jon could be seen discretely scanning the crowd, "are they looking for me?" he wondered. Rose looked radiant. Her blond hair was in long ringlets and adorned with fresh sky-blue flowers. Her dress was a long, sleeveless cream-colored silk gown that hinted at slinky without being too much so. Jon wore a cream-colored tux with silk lapels that matched Rose's gown and a light blue shirt that matched the flowers in her hair. They exchanged vows, and the small crowd gave a thunderous ovation as they kissed. As they proceeded down the aisle and waited to greet people, Romana drew him near to them.

"This was so perfect," they overheard Rose telling Jon, "if only he were here."

"I'm a little surprised that he isn't," Jon agreed. "It would have been nice to share this with him."

Romana took his hand and whispered, "Time to leave."

He woke up in his own bed. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. He sat up and wiped them away. Were these dreams, was he simply seeing what he wanted to? "At any rate," he said aloud, "they're much better than the nightmares I usually have." Two more hours had gone by. He debated with himself whether he should bother trying to sleep any more. "I'll read a bit. Then I'll try to sleep again."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nothing the Doctor tried to read could hold his interest. His mind kept coming back to his "dreams". What was happening to him? Was he losing his mind? If so, at least he was doing so in a mostly pleasant way. Was someone manipulating his dreams? That seemed more likely. But if so, whom, and why? Their intent didn't seem nefarious in the least, it seemed someone was trying to comfort him. He set his book down and sighed, looking up at the ceiling and addressing the TARDIS, "Is it you, old girl? Are you trying to make me feel better?" Her answer could be loosely translated as an innocent "_Huh?_"

"Not that you'd admit to it, anyway." Besides, he told himself, she simply didn't have the sheer mental power it would take to make such detailed projections into his mind. "I suppose I'll try one more time to get some sleep." Secretly he was looking forward to seeing if it happened again.

He was in a picturesque meadow near a large pond. He plucked a wild rose from a bush and stuck it in his buttonhole. Behind him, on top of the hill, he could see Rose and Jon's house. He was alone this time. No, wait, he wasn't. On the other side of a weeping willow he could see someone feeding some ducks. He walked closer, it was a blond woman. Rose. She had on a summer dress and a jacket, her feet were bare. He stopped dead in his tracks, his hearts pounding. Wait, he thought, supposedly I'm just a little out of sync with this reality. Besides, none of this is real. He walked over, she turned and looked straight at him.

"Hey you, what are you doing home so early?" She flung her arms around him and kissed him firmly on the lips. He startled a little.

"Wow, that seemed real enough," he said, mostly to himself, and taking a backward step.

"What are you getting on about?" She looked at him quizzically, eyeing his brown pinstripes. "When did you get that suit? I thought you were gonna avoid pinstripes from now on."

For a moment he considered playing along. None of this was real, but real or not, he couldn't lie to Rose, and playing along would be lying.

"Rose, I'm not Jon, I'm me. The original. The Doctor."

Her mouth dropped open, gob-smacked. "You – you're really him? You're here?"

"Yep." He popped the 'p'. "Wherever..."

_SMACK!!!_

"_OUCH!!! For Rassilon's sake, do you Tyler women teach your little girls that even before walking?? THAT REALLY HURT!" _He rubbed his cheek with one hand while defensively blocking Rose from delivering another slap with his other. "I can't believe that didn't wake me up!"

"_That_ was for dropping us off here like so much baggage without even asking us what _WE_ wanted!" Rose blurted furiously. "And what are you talking about, 'waking up'?"

"I'm beginning to think perhaps this _is_ real," he said, "although I don't see how it could be. I'm actually asleep in my chair in the TARDIS library in the other universe. I'm not really here."

"I assure you, Doctor, you are here. How else could I slap you?" She glared at him, hands on hips.

"Rose," he started to explain, then caught himself, "What am I doing, explaining myself to a figment of my imagination? Well, I guess anything can happen in a dream."

"Doctor, _I'm_ not dreaming. You might be, but I'm having a perfectly normal day, until now, anyway."

He stared at her, perplexed. "Apparently I feel even more guilty that I realised about dropping you off here, and my mind is working overtime trying to resolve it." He rubbed his face where she slapped him, feeling a welt rising. "And any more slaps like that ought to about do it."

She stepped forward to look at his face and he stepped back hastily. "Oh no you don't..."

"Oh stop it, I only wanted to look. I'm sorry if I hurt you. I didn't realise I had that much anger in me."

"Neither did I, or I wouldn't have dared approach you. I think I'd better leave. Trouble is, I don't know how." He started backing away.

Tears were welling up in her eyes. She begged him, "Doctor, I really _am_ sorry! The one person I most wanted to see, and what did I do? I hurt you! Please, forgive me. Don't go!"

He stopped and considered. "I could do with some tea."

They were in the kitchen sipping their tea, "Do you see that? One minute we're by the pond, then suddenly we're here. Do you remember walking up the hill?"

"No." Rose said, puzzled. "I guess this _must_ be a dream. But it's so weird, yeah? I mean, it feels so real."

"They do." The Doctor hesitantly started telling Rose of his dreams – or visions – or whatever. Rose was astounded as he described in detail what he'd seen and heard.

"That's exactly how things happened!" she exclaimed. Meanwhile, in the back of her mind, doubt was growing as to this being the Doctor. _This is Jon playing a trick on me,_ she thought. _I'll play a trick on him. _

"So, this is a dream, yeah?" she asked.

"It has to be," the Doctor stated. "What else could it be?"

Rose stood up, hitched up her skirt, and slid in between the Doctor and the table, straddling him. As his eyes widened, she started loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt.

"Er – Rose? Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"Why shouldn't we?" she asked innocently.

"Well, you're married to Jon and all..."

"Yeah? So?"

"Well, do you really want to be unfaithful to him?"

"How can I be? This is a dream, yeah? And you look exactly like him. Who's to say you're not really him?" With that she flung her light jacket away and grabbed his head, kissing him fiercely. He couldn't help but respond a little, and kissed her back. Rassilon, she tasted just as good as he thought she would. She guided his hands under her dress and up to her breasts and moaned as he cupped them. She looked him in the eye and said breathlessly,

"Doctor, I've waited a long, long time for this, and I won't take 'no' for an answer!" She stood up, grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him up, then wrapped his tie around her fist and led him to the bedroom. She pushed him onto the bed, pulled her dress up over her head in one fluid movement, and pounced upon him, hungry like a wolf.

He stopped her. "Wait, Rose," he panted.

"What?" she gasped in frustration. She was really into this game, and was determined to see it through.

"There's something that needs said. Something I should've said a long time ago, when I had the chance."

She stopped, mesmerized. "Then say it," she whispered.

"Rose Tyler," he swallowed the lump in his throat, "I love you," he whispered hoarsely.

She melted into him, kissing him long and deep, melding her body into his. He rolled over on top of her, then jumped up off the bed and nearly ripped his clothes off as she watched expectantly, then was back on top of her, sealing his words by claiming her body totally. As they reached the inevitable climax, a golden fog surrounded them.

The Doctor woke up in his chair. He panted heavily, catching his breath. He placed a hand over his chest, and found a wild rose in his buttonhole.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

He sat bolt upright, yelling at no one in particular, "All right, who are you, and what are you trying to do to me!?"

A golden fog shrouded his eyes momentarily and he felt something leave him. The golden being stood – or rather, hovered - before him, "We mean you no harm, Time Lord."

"What are you doing? Amusing yourself with my dreams?" he spat.

"No, Time Lord, we thought to bring you comfort, to ease your despair, and provide you with an heir and a reason for going on."

"An heir? How can dreams give me an heir?"

"It was not a dream. Your former companion will bear your child, and someday you will find one another, your futures are linked."

"WHAT!?" He stared at the being in disbelief. "You're telling me that I _impregnated_ Rose Tyler? I don't believe you," he said furiously, "and even if it were possible - which it isn't - you have _no right_ to impose that fate on anyone!"

"It is done. Farewell, Time Lord." The being disappeared.

"Wait!" he called out, "Who _are_ you? I'm not finished with you yet!"

Silence was the only response.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Rose! Wake up already!" She opened her sleepy eyes to the sound of barely-suppressed laughter, with an undertone of passion and impatience.

"I really was enjoying the show and planning on taking advantage of it, but you started glowing so I thought I'd wake you," Jon said, planting a kiss on her lips.

"Show, what show? And glowing?" she asked a bit self-consciously, still aroused from what she believed to be one hell of a great dream, and hoping she didn't do anything too embarrassing.

"Ooooh... you had what appeared to be a _very_ **naughty** dream!" He laughed. She looked up at him, he was flushed with arousal and clearly anticipating reciprocation.

"I did!" she teased, "Do you want to hear about it?"

"Oh yes!" He grinned, his brown eyes widened and glittered in anticipation.

"Well," she began, "there I was, down at the pond, feeding the ducks in a summer dress and bare feet, I guess I took a day off work or something."

"And where was I?" Jon asked, seductively, stroking her cheek and nibbling on her ear.

"Apparently you were at work, or maybe not, I'll get to that later," she replied, brushing him away. "Anyway, I'm standin' there, feeding the ducks, when you walk up to me in your brown pinstripe suit..."

"Oi!" Jon interrupted, "why would I be wearin' that?"

"That's what I wondered!" Rose agreed, "so I gave you a big hug and a kiss and asked. And you told me you weren't you, you were the 'original', THE Doctor."

"You missin' him or something?"

"I'll get to that, let me tell you what happened!" Rose frowned at him.

"Alright."

"So I smacked the _snot_ out of him – or you – whoever!" she laughed as he winced, knowing all to well how adept Tyler women were at that form of discipline. "And then he pouted and started to leave, but said he didn't know how. So I'm all apologetic and all, 'cause if he _is_ the Doctor I really do want to see him afterall, and anyway we decide to have some tea."

"This doesn't sound naughty at all, hurry up and get to the good part!" Jon urged, yet kind of hoping this wasn't going where he thought it might...

"OK, I'm almost there. So, suddenly we're in the kitchen havin' tea, and he starts telling me about these incredible dreams he's been having about us, and what's goin' on with us, and it's like he knows _everything_. Things only _you_ could know. So I start thinkin', Ok, this is really Jon, and he's playin' mind tricks on me. So I decided to turn the tables on you bein' you're pretendin' to be him and all, and I sit on your lap and start snoggin' ya!" At this point she starts laughing delightedly, and he relaxes a bit.

"Well at least it was me!" he crows, grabbing her and kissing her firmly. She wriggled free.

"Wait, I haven't gotten to the really good part! So, I grab you by the necktie and _drag_ you into the bedroom..."

"Oh that sounds hot, why haven't you ever done that to me?"

"'Cause I haven't had to!" she laughed, "So one thing leads to another..." here she softened her voice, ".. and you're still acting like him, and before we do it, you tell me you love me." Her eyes brimmed with tears and she looked at Jon.

"Well, I do." Gently, all traces of randiness gone, he kisses her. "Let me show you how much."

"I'd love that," she breathes, "but first let me go pee." She smiles and climbs out of bed. She takes a step, and stops dead in her tracks. "Jon?"

"Yes, love?"

"You didn't – _do_ – anything with me while I was dreaming, did you?"

"No, Rose, of course not. I was just watchin' the show."

"Then why is there something running down my leg?"

Jon sat up and sniffed. No, it couldn't be. She'd never left the bed. But he knew that smell. Semen.

"Don't move!" he told her, and he ran out to the kitchen and came back with a small plastic cup and a zip-lock baggie. He carefully collected the sample and bagged it, and told her, "Get your robe and slippers on and nothing else. We're taking this to Torchwood and find out what's going on."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

For Rose and Jon, it had been three years since the Doctor had dropped them off at Bad Wolf Bay. A year later, they had married. Jon had suggested Rose keep her name if she wished to, as that was the tradition on Gallifrey. "We never went through that 'wives are property' phase you humans did," he joked. "Besides, you'll always be 'Rose Tyler' to me." The deep emotion in his eyes as he said her name told her all she needed to know. She agreed.

In the 2 years since, they had been hoping to conceive a child. When it hadn't happened, Torchwood had been kind enough to allow them the use of their facilities (they were, after all, key employees) for genetic testing. There were no surprises where Jon's DNA was concerned, his showed both human and Gallifreyan characteristics. Rose's DNA, however, caused a bit of consternation. Hers was mostly normal human DNA, but some parts had changed, and were somewhat similar to Gallifreyan DNA. This cause a great deal of excitement among the Torchwood research staff, and Jon and Rose were thankful that Pete was there to prevent her from becoming an experiment herself.

The conclusion of the staff was that there was no reason they could fathom why they had not conceived. "But too little is known of Gallifreyan DNA and the effect that the Time Vortex had on you, Rose." Pete offered. "Just keep trying, and don't get too discouraged." He smiled and gave her a hug. "Something else we noticed. Neither of you is showing much cellular degradation. We suspect you two may have longer-than-normal lives. So don't try to rush things, you have plenty of time."

That conversation had been a month ago. Since then they got back to their lives, Jon continued teaching scientific classes at Torchwood in everything from Xenobiology to Astrophysics. He also oversaw the development of the space fleet. Rose, meanwhile, taught alien cultural and diplomacy classes. Slowly, Torchwood was gaining the practical knowledge they needed to be able to go out into the stars and contact alien races without (hopefully) causing conflict.

This morning, Pete met them at the door of the Torchwood medical facility as they rushed in. Rose had insisted on dressing, despite Jon's concern that she might contaminate evidence.

"Rose, sweetheart, are you alright?" Pete's brow was lined with concern.

"Of course, Dad, it's not like I was attacked," she said, trying to ease his concern. "Please tell Mum I'm fine." Jon rolled his eyes and ushered her over to the examining room that had been prepared, as Pete pulled out his cell phone to call Jackie. Their friend Dr. David Johnson was waiting for them, he greeted them warmly and introduced them to a new intern who had recently been recruited, Dr. Martha Jones. Jon and Rose beamed at her, "Brilliant! So glad to meet you!" Their eyes met and both relaxed just a bit, for the first time that morning since the "incident".

"Dr. Jones, would you make Rose comfortable and interview her while I speak with her husband?"

"Certainly Dr. Johnson."

Jon and Dr. Johnson left the room while Martha opened a cupboard and got out a hospital gown and slippers for Rose to change into. "Here you go, Ms. Tyler. You know what to do with them," she said, with a cheeky grin.

"Please Martha," She smiled and put a hand on the intern's shoulder. "I feel like I already know you, and my friends call me Rose."

"Why thank you M-- I mean, Rose." Martha gave her a brilliant smile, then turned her back and busied herself organizing her clipboard while Rose changed into the hospital garb. When Rose was finished and hopped up on the examination table Martha pulled a stool over and sat.

"So, Rose," she said gently, "tell me what happened."

Meanwhile, Jon and Dr. Johnson were analyzing the sample he'd brought it. "Preliminary tests show that it is semen, and seem to indicate that there is no human DNA in it," Dr. Johnson told Jon. "Of course, we need to perform more thorough tests before we can be sure." He hesitated. "Jon, it would be helpful to get another sample from you, just so we can rule out the possibility that you've undergone any changes yourself."

Jon rubbed the back of his neck resignedly. "Sure, when Martha's through with Rose, I'm sure we can get you a sample." He looked at his friend, "But I can tell you it isn't mine. I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure it's going to turn out to be my brother's."

"In that case, Jon, I can offer Rose a 'morning after' drug."

"That decision is, of course, up to Rose," Jon said sourly, "but unless that sample actually contains Slitheen DNA or something equally disgusting, which obviously it doesn't, or you'd have told me, it isn't an idea I want to entertain. It just doesn't sit well with me."

Dr. Johnson nodded. "You're a good man, Jon."

"Thanks."

Martha Jones had just broached the same subject with Rose, after confirming the Rose appeared to be ovulating. "I dunno, I'll have to talk to Jon about it." Rose said. Somehow that option just didn't feel right. Jon had said she had glowed, if so the Bad Wolf must have been involved, if so this was meant to happen. "How long before I know if I'm pregnant?"

"Well, it can vary, but most tests can tell within 10 days from conception."

Rose let out a long breath. "That's a long time to wonder about it, under the circumstances."

"Yeah," Martha sympathized, and squeezed Rose's shoulder. "Do you _want_ to be pregnant?"

"Absolutely," Rose declared, "but with my husband, not his brother – _if_ it was even really him."

"Well then," Martha instructed, "if I were you, I'd shag that gorgeous husband of yours 'til he drops tonight. Get all the sperm you can in there. No telling which little soldier will win the battle."

Rose laughed in delight, and Martha joined her.

"Martha Jones," Rose laughed, "You are brilliant!"

Jon came in during the giggle-fest and smiled. It was good to see them get on so well together, even if this wasn't "their" Martha Jones. "Martha, may I speak with my wife privately?"

"Certainly, Doctor" She smiled and left briskly.

"It's Jon!" he called out after her.

"Well," Rose smiled hesitantly, "I'm ovulating, but I can take the 'morning after' drug if I want."

"Do you want to?" Jon asked innocently, masking his feelings.

"No," she said quietly, watching his face.

"Good." He nodded and took her hands in his. "This isn't how I wanted things to happen, but if it does happen, I'll love this child as my own – which it probably sort-of is, anyway." He cocked his head and flashed her his maniacal grin.

She couldn't help but laugh. "So are the tests back yet?"

"Only the preliminary ones, and the sample I collected from you doesn't seem to have any human DNA." He watched her face as she absorbed and processed this information and its implications.

"What about Gallifreyan DNA?"

"David didn't really say, he's waiting on the advanced tests to be sure. But he'd like an additional sample from me, to rule out any changes in my genetic make-up." He saw her frown. "What is it?" he asked.

She told him Martha's idea about loading her up with 'little soldiers'. "I don't want to waste any!" she insisted.

Jon burst out laughing. "I'll have plenty!" he assured her. "Let's get David his sample go we can go home and shag like bunnies!"

On the way out, they stopped off at his office and asked his secretary to to send Martha a bottle of her favorite wine, hoping it was the same in this universe.

That night, Jon had a dream of his own. He was on Gallifrey, near the Academy, in a little grove with a bench just off-campus where he often went when he was bullied, to be alone with his thoughts. This time there was someone sitting on the bench. Whoever it was, was covered in a hooded robe.

"You look like a man with the weight of the universe on his shoulders," the other man observed.

"Not the universe, just a possible child," Jon responded.

"Why, that's wonderful! Congratulations – hopefully, yeah?"

"Well, it's complicated."

"Oh. You don't want the child?"

Oh, no – I mean, oh yes, I do!" Jon assured the stranger. "But it may be my twin's child, and not mine."

"Oh, I see. You must be very angry with him."

"No, I'm not actually. He thought it was a dream, as did my wife."

"Will he have a part in raising the child, then?"

"Probably not," Jon sighed. "He's in another universe, and can't get to us."

"So you're going to raise this possible child as your own then?"

"Yep-p."

"Do you love your brother?"

"Very much. I miss him, too."

"I'm so glad to hear that. You're a good man, Jon. Better than me. I wish I were in your shoes. But I've got to go, got to save the universe again. Give Rose my love." The stranger got up to leave.

"WAIT!" Jon gasped, "_What is your name_?!"

The stranger threw back his hood, and Jon found himself looking upon his own face, looking back with tears in his eyes. "John. John Smith." The stranger faded away.

Jon sat bolt-upright in the bed, gasping, sweat pouring off him. Rose stirred. "Are you alright?" she asked sleepily as she rolled over and hugged him.

He laid back down, held her close, and wept.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jon and Rose took the next day off of work to be together and sort things out. What had happened was so disturbing on so many levels they agreed they needed to spend some time together.

Rose was worried about Jon. If a pregnancy did result from her dream-state encounter with the Doctor, he would be raising someone else's child, even if that someone else was, essentially, himself. She also worried about the Doctor, all alone in the other universe. If Jon's dream was accurate, the Doctor knew about the child. How would he feel about that? She knew he'd feel guilty about what had happened between them in that dream-state, would he be even more devastated that his clone was raising his child?

Jon was worried about Rose. He knew she felt guilty about what had happened, although he assured her she did nothing wrong. She and the Doctor had been manipulated, but by what or whom? Was it the Bad Wolf? The golden glow he had witnessed would seem to support that, but Rose had no inkling, and the Bad Wolf had not left behind any signs. Could it be Dalek Caan? He had demonstrated the ability to manipulate Time, although he had also admitted that everything that happened at the Crucible would have, anyway (presumably because of the Bad Wolf, Jon thought). He also had an extraordinary knack for survival, although he had seemed to _want_ to die. Or could it have been someone else? One of the Guardians, perhaps?

They spent the day talking, comforting one another, hashing things out, and shagging like bunnies. By early evening, they were both sure of one thing – no matter what, they loved each other, and nothing or no one would ever change that fact, no matter what.

They had no way of knowing that that commitment would be challenged someday, by the last person they ever thought.

Meanwhile, the Doctor sat in his library in the TARDIS in the other universe. They were in the Lupus constellation, near the wormhole he had previously discovered that had enabled him to contact them via Rose's altered cell phone. He had been able to reach through the wormhole into Jon's subconscious and talk with him via a dream. He grinned triumphantly to himself. _Yes!_ He thought, _I might not be able to be there physically – yet – but I can certainly communicate. _

He had been cursing himself lately, angry that he had let Rose go, that he had denied himself the love that he deserved. And what about her? She was the Bad Wolf, she had sacrificed herself for him, and what had he done? Why he'd abandoned her in that other universe with his... clone. A poor imitation of himself. _What an idiot I was_, he thought. He was determined to get her back. He'd have to be careful, he knew she'd fallen for the clone – Jon, he was calling himself. He was going to have to arrange things carefully, once he figured out how to travel between universes again.

And the child! _His_ child! The wondrous chance to have a child with the Bad Wolf. What abilities would his child would have? He had to be there, he had to be able to raise this child. This was something that could not be trusted to the clone. He had begun to think of Jon as a thing, not a person. Certainly not someone fit to raise a child with the Bad Wolf.

He had a lot of planning to do. But first, an experiment.

He closed his eyes, and thought of Jon. They would be in bed by now, any mental defenses Jon had would likely be down. He let himself fall into a deep trance, where he saw himself waking in Jon's body, in bed with Rose. He held Jon's hand up and looked at it, then reached down and rubbed the back of his neck, as he often did. Wonderful, he could feel it! Carefully he rolled Jon over and spooned Rose. He wrapped Jon's arms around her and felt her softness, inhaling her fragrance. He nibbled on her earlobe. She stirred, laughing softly.

"Not again," she laughed sleepily, "Really, how can you possibly have anything left?"

"Try me." he challenged, grinning maniacally.

She rolled over to embrace him, and he took her with the fury and passion of one whose hearts' desires had been denied for far too long. Every fantasy he'd had, every pent-up desire came flooding out, and he took full advantage again and again. By the time he was finally spent, she was exhausted.

"Jon, that was just – _incredible!_" she moaned. "How on Earth can you _do_ that?"

"You deserve the best, my love," he whispered hoarsely, "and I'm going to see to it that you get nothing less."

With that, he slipped away from Jon, and back to his own body. He looked down. He needed a shower and a change of pants.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When the alarm went off in the morning they both groaned. Groaning was normal for Rose, she was not a morning person. Jon, however, usually popped out of bed with delight, ready to take on the day. Jon swung his legs slowly out of bed and hit the alarm.

"Bloody hell," he groaned, rubbing his neck. "I feel like I ran a marathon last night."

"Well what do you expect after the two-hour shag-a-thon we had?" Rose giggled sleepily. "I can't believe you'd go at it like that when you knew we need to go to work this morning."

Jon turned and stared at her. "Two hours?!"

Rose sat up with another groan. "Don't tell me you don't remember it!" She rubbed her eyes and looked at him. "It was wonderful, although I almost thought you were going to eat me alive for awhile there. It was like you were possessed – in a good way." She smiled mischievously at him.

Jon looked thoughtful. "I do remember it, but it was like someone else was doing it, and I was just watching. Rose," he shook his head, "this is just getting too weird."

"Let's make some coffee and have a bite to eat," she suggested, "we'll think better with some food in us, and we can try to figure out what's going on."

Jon put on his dressing gown and slippers and went into the kitchen to attend to breakfast, while Rose showered. She could hardly walk, she was so sore. She hadn't felt like this since that time she rode a horse when she was thirteen. _Rode hard and put away wet,_ she thought to herself. _This would be funny if it weren't so unreal._ When she was finished, she put on her dressing gown and went to eat with Jon.

"So what do you think is going on?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm afraid something may be catching up with us, and especially my brother. Do you remember that night when I shared my life with you?"

"Uh-huh."

"After you became the Bad Wolf, I always felt a sort of presence within myself that had an unhealthy, sinister interest in you. I'd hoped that keeping you in this universe would keep you safe. Now I'm not so sure."

"You mean the Valeyard?"

"Yes. It occurs to me that if the Valeyard is in my brother, it potentially is also in me. You may not be any safer here than you were there, especially with me being only half Time Lord. I might not have the strength to withstand it."

"Sweetheart," Rose said, taking his hand, "_No way!_" she mimiced Donna Noble's voice perfectly, making Jon laugh in spite of humself. She joined in his laughter. "I have faith in _you_, and I have faith in the _Donna_ in you. You will never harm me." She leaned over and kissed him passionately. "Let's get to work. Maybe our staff at Torchwood can help us figure this out."

It was the morning of the tenth day. Rose and Jon both fidgeted as they sat together awaiting the results of the pregnancy test. Jackie and Pete waited with them. Rose knew she was pregnant. She couldn't say how she knew, she just did. Jon often saw her unconsciously stroking her belly. Pete had taken him aside before the test, and placing his hands on Jon's shoulders, he told him, "You know, being a father to someone else's child isn't bad at all, if it does turn out that way. I have no regrets about adopting Rose. As far as I am concerned, she is my daughter."

Jon smiled. Pete was quite possibly the only person who could relate to his situation. Although Jon had initially distrusted Pete when he and Rose had first been left here, he'd come to consider him a good friend. "I know, and thanks, Pete. I'm so glad I have you in my family."

Jackie had hugged Rose that morning with tears in her eyes. "I'm not sure what I'm hopin' for, honestly, Sweetie." She cupped her daughter's face in her hands.

"It's alright, Mum, I know what you mean. But whatever happens, it's OK with me, really."

Dr. Johnson walked into the room. "Well Rose, you're going to be a mother." The collective population of the room exhaled. "We'll have to wait until week 15 at the earliest to do an amniocentesis so we can have a look at the baby's chromosomes. We'll do an ultrasound at the same time to check the baby's development. But at any rate, congratulations."

Rose and Jon hugged each other tightly, tears flowing from both their eyes. Jackie and Pete were doing the same. Then they switched, Pete hugging Jon and Jackie hugging Rose. Then they switched again, after which Jackie punched Jon non-too-lightly in the arm (which elicited a pained 'OI!') and lectured him, "That's my grandchild in there, regardless, you'd better be the best Dad ever!" but the love shining in her eyes told him she had no doubts in that regard.

Jon walked over to Dr. Johnson and shook his hand, and asked the inevitable question, "...And the chromosome results on the sample I took from Rose?"

"No human DNA, Jon."

Jon let out a deep breath. "Well... I though as much." He rubbed the back of his neck in resignation. "I guess we'll have to wait for the amniocentesis to know for sure, but I have a feeling I already know what the results will be."

Dr. Johnson gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Wish I could tell you now, one way or the other, Jon."

"I know you do, David. Thanks for all your help, I'm glad Rose and I can rely on you."

Rose had wandered over in the meantime, she looked at Jon questioningly. He shook his head at her, "It went pretty much the way we thought it would, Rose. No human DNA."

"So, we wait 13 ½ weeks to find out who the father is, yeah? That seems like such a long time, doesn't it?" Her eyes filled and Jon hugged her tight.

"S'alright, my love. S'alright." He lifted her chin so he look look into her eyes. "I want this baby as much as you do, and I'll love it no matter what." He kissed her deeply. "Let's get to work, shall we?"


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next few months went unevenfully for Jon and Rose. The mysterious dreams seemed to have ended for both of them, and they happily settled into the role of expectant parents. While the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy were never far from their thoughts, they were left at peace to experience this pregnancy as normally as possible. Rose was blossoming, she had developed a cute little baby bump, and Jon doted on her. It had been so long since he'd been a father, this time there was no loom nor Gallifreyan customs to be adhered to, and he meant to take full advantage of the human "hands on" approach to child-rearing. He talked to the baby incessantly as they snuggled together watching the telly at night, Rose often had to turn up the volume to hear her programme. He would discuss anything and everything from a brilliant advertisement to world peace, and Rose often would just shut the telly off and laugh at the inane things Jon would tell the baby.

"This baby will either be totally brilliant, or totally nutters!" she'd laugh.

On the morning they went in to Torchwood for the amniocentesis, Rose was nervous and ill. She didn't usually have much in the way of morning sickness, but this morning she was nauseous. After she finished retching over the toilet bowl, she looked up at Jon wearily and said, "You know your husband loves you when he holds your hair back while you puke."

Jon smiled sympathetically as he handed her a damp flannel to wipe her face with. "Much as I envy you, being able to carry a baby, I don't envy this part. Here, let me help you up. Steady, there now... alright?"

"I'm alright." She leaned against him gratefully for a moment, before straightening up and heading for the kitchen. "I think I'll just grab some crackers and some ginger ale to take with me."

Both were quiet on the trip into town. Rose chewed thoughtfully on a cracker, lost in her thoughts about the baby, who its father might be, where he was, what he was doing, how he'd feel about this...

"_Rose!_" She was startled out of her daydream by Jon's voice. "We're here, sweetheart." He smiled and reached over and squeezed her hand. "You looked like you were a million miles away."

"Further than that, actually." She amiled thinly. He nodded, understanding. His thoughts had been occupied similarly. He jumped out of the car and ran around to open her door for her. She waited for him to do so, he insisted on doing everything he could for her, and she loved him for it. She smiled gamely as he helped her out of the car, squaring her shoulders and saying with more enthusiasm than she felt, "Well, _allons-y_! Let's go get this over with!"

As usual, Pete and Jackie were waiting for them inside, never being ones to wait and hear about things second-hand. Having grown up without her father, and with Jackie working and doing the best she could to make ends meet, Rose adored her now close-knit family. Yet, sometimes she wished she and Jon had just a bit more privacy. This was one of those times.

"Mum, you really don't have to be here, I'll call you as soon as we know anything."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sweetie, you shouldn't have to go through this alone!" her mother admonished.

"I'm not alone, Mum, Jon will be there with me." Rose rubbed her stomach as another wave of nausea hit her. "Excuse me!" She rushed into the nearby lavatory.

Jackie patted Jon on the arm and exclaimed, "Well, you certainly can't go in _there_ with her!" before following her in.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" she called as she entered the lavatory. As Rose leaned over the toilet basin she wondered why on Earth anyone would ask such a stupid question when she obviously was _not_ alright. Before she could voice this thought she was overcome by another wave of nausea and was vomiting her guts up (or so it felt). Good thing she'd thought to tie her hair back at the last minute before they left home this morning.

Meanwhile Jackie grabbed two handfuls of paper towels and dampened them. When she heard Rose flush the toilet she opened the door and handed them to her. Rose wiped her face gratefully. "Thanks, Mum."

"Rose, sweetie, how long has this been going on?" Jackie asked, concern knitting her brow.

"Just the past few days, but not this bad before." Rose slowly got up and her mother took her elbow and guided her to the sinks where she rinsed her mouth out and splashed water on her face.

"Did you tell Dr. Johnson about it?"

"No, really didn't see the need, it's just morning sickness, after all."

"Well you'd better tell him about it today!"

Drying her face, Rose said, "I think I'm OK now, let's get over to the examination room and get this over with."

Jackie insisted on taking her daughter's arm and guided her out the door and over to Jon, who took the other arm and together they walked her down the hallway and through the double doors to Dr. Johnson's now-familiar examination room. He and Martha were waiting for them, and concern flashed across their faces as they saw Rose being guided in.

"What's going on with you, Rose?" Dr Johnson asked.

Rose smiled bravely, "Just morning sickness. Seems worse today, though."

"Dr. Jones, why don't you take Rose's vitals while I talk with her family?"

While Dr. Johnson and her family spoke in hushed tones, Martha helped her up onto the exam table, then grinned and whipped out a thermometer, Rose obligingly opened mouth and took it under her tongue. Martha then proceeded to take Rose's blood pressure, all the while chatting about the latest celebrity gossip in an effort to put Rose at ease. She took the thermometer back, noted its reading and Rose's BP on her chart just in time for Rose to feel another wave of nausea start building.

"Doctor!" Martha called as she saw Rose start to rub her stomach. Both Jon and Dr. Johnson came over.

"Allow me to try something, Rose." Jon instructed, taking off his jacket. She nodded quickly, silently urging him to hurry up. He rolled up his sleeves, flexed the fingers on both hands rather dramatically, and said, "Now let's see if I've still got the touch." Winking at Rose he whispered confidently, "Of course I know I do!"

With that he took Rose's wrist, laying three fingers across it, and felt for the correct spot, and applied steady pressure. The nausea stopped building. "Better yet?" Jon asked.

"No, but not any worse." she replied, frowning.

"Hold on, breathe deeply, slowly in through your nose, and quickly out your mouth, try to relax, and give it a little more time." Jon instructed.

As Jon was administering pressure to Rose's wrist, Martha took her leg on the same side, felt below her knee cap and found where the muscle and shin bone met, and also applied pressure. Jon nodded approvingly while Rose let out a sigh of relief.

"Wow, that is so much better!"

"Alright Martha, let's switch sides!"

They repeated their actions on Rose's other side and she visibly brightened. "That's fantastic!" she grinned. Jon and Martha beamed at each other.

Dr. Johnson took Rose's chart and looked it over, then looked at Rose. "Your blood pressure is a bit high. Not dangerously so, but I want to keep you here the rest of the day and monitor you." At her look of alarm he said reassuringly, "If all goes well, there's no reason you can't go home tonight with Jon. Meanwhile, let's get our other tests done, shall we? Mom, Dad," he instructed, looking at the Tylers, "you're going to have to wait outside."

Rose breathed a sigh of relief. "I think my blood pressure just dropped!" she whispered jokingly to Jon and Martha.

First, Rose had to drink a lot of water to fill her bladder for the sonogram. She actually had done so earlier, but it didn't have the desired effect since she'd lost it all. Once her bladder was full, they got started. Rose jumped a little as Martha squirted the jelly on her stomach. "Feels cold, doesn't it?" Martha grinned. "Believe it or not, it's room temperature!" As Martha moved the transducer over Rose's belly, they could see the picture up on a monitor mounted on the wall. Martha repeatedly swept the instrument over her belly, a slight frown on her face. Rose stole a glance at her and Dr. Johnson, both were concentrating very hard on the images, and she could see they were puzzled, but not saying anything. She quickly looked at Jon, who was grinning with delight in spite of what he knew the images must mean. He was the first to break the silence.

"Two hearts, one baby! And I can see the respiratory bypass growing! This baby is definitely Gallifreyan!"

Dr. Johnson and Martha both looked at him questioningly, "Are you sure that's normal?" Dr Johnson asked.

"Weelllll... as you know, Gallifreyan babies normally are loomed, not carried biologically by the mother, but this looks like the right stage of development for the number of weeks since conception." He looked at Rose. "Do you want to know what the sex is?"

She smiled at him. "It's a girl, isn't it?"

Jon laughed in surprise. "Rose, that's brilliant! Well, maybe not _that_ brilliant, after all there's only two choices... but did you really know, or did you just guess?"

Rose shrugged. "I've just had this feeling it would be a girl. Can't say how or why."

"OK, I hate to interrupt," Dr. Johnson urged, "but we have one more procedure to do before we get Rose situated in a bed for the day." Rose wrinkled up her nose, she wasn't looking forward to this at all. "Dr. Jones, get the transducer in position."

Martha did so, and Dr. Johnson used the ultrasound image to guide the needle in for the amniocentesis. Jon held Rose's hand tightly and touched her temple, sending thoughts of warmth and love into her mind. Before she knew it, it was over with, and just a mild sting where the needle had entered her skin.

Jon kissed her. "You're so beautiful," he whispered.

"You were wonderful," she stated simply.

Rose was taken to a private room to rest for the day so that her blood pressure could be monitored. After Jackie and Pete had seen the ultrasound pictures and satisfied themselves that Rose was resting comfortably, Jackie went home and Jon and Pete went to work. Rose had a cup of herbal tea and watched some telly before dozing off. She had a dream about a small golden-haired girl with whom she laughed and played. Her name was Ariana.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Rose woke from her dream with a start. It had seemed so real! She smiled to herself as she gently rubbed her belly. _So, is that your name, Arianna? _She could swear she felt a warm glow in response. She looked at the clock, almost lunchtime. _What do you want to eat, little one? _An image of a peanut butter and banana sandwich popped into her head. She laughed. _You're definitely your father's daughter! _

Just then Martha came in to check on her. Seeing Rose's smile, she grinned and asked, "Enjoying your stay?"

"I swear, Martha, the baby is communicatin' with me. She wants a peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch!"

"And what do _you_ want?" Martha asked as she took Rose's blood pressure.

"Hmm... I'll have that sandwich, and some fruit salad with cottage cheese, and..." she hesitated as another image popped into her mind, "... and a banana smoothie!"

"Is that you or the baby talking?" Martha smiled as she reached for a thermometer.

"Both." Rose admitted, then opened her mouth for the thermometer. Martha studied her chart as they waited for the thermometer to beep, then took it out when it did and studied the reading with a slight frown. "What is it?" Rose asked.

"It's been slowly falling all morning. It's a bit below normal." Martha answered. "How do you feel?"

"Fine right now. Much better than this morning."

"OK, well we'll keep an eye on it then. I'll call your secretary and ask her to get you your lunch."

"Thanks, Martha. That'll give me a chance to get caught up on some stuff with her."

Just as Martha was leaving Jon popped in. "How is the most beautiful woman in the universe?" he asked, sitting on the bed and leaning in for a kiss.

"Better than this morning. Cooler, too, aparently. Martha says my temperature is a bit below normal."

Jon leaned in for another kiss. "Hmmm... yyeesss... it is, and your chemistry tastes a bit different, too. When I see David or Martha again, I'll have them do a blood chemistry workup on you, too."

Rose smiled ruefully and shook her head. "Y'know, it takes some of the fun out of kissin' when you're bein' analyzed."

Jon grinned and shrugged. "Can't help it, occupational hazard and all, bein' a Time Lord." Then he leaned down and snogged her properly, with no analysis. "Just wait 'til we get home," he promised, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, "and I'll do a _much_ more thorough analysis."

"Ooooo... _Doctor!_" Rose murmured huskily, grinning with the tip of her tongue peeking out at the corner.

"Alright you two, this is an office, not a hotel!" Dr. Johnson had stopped in at Martha's suggestion.

"Oh c'mon David, don't be such a prude!" Jon laughed, but did get off the bed. "Just a suggestion, but you might want to do another blood chemistry workup on Rose, she's feeling better, but tastes a bit different."

Dr. Johnson rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I almost wish I could do that, but with my luck, it'd be your mum who'd need analysis," he said, winking at Rose.

"And the problem with that would be...?!" Jackie Tyler's voice came from behind him. She'd brought Tony in to see his big sister.

After a round of good-natured laughter, Jon and David stepped out of the room to talk and Jackie let Tony sit on the bed and hug his sister.

"What do you think is going on with her?" Dr. Johnson asked Jon.

"Well... I've never dealt with a human carrying a Time Lord baby before, but I suspect that her temperature and chemistry are adapting to the baby's needs. That's likely why she got so sick this morning. I'm a little worried." Jon admitted.

"That sounds like a reasonable explanation, I'll send someone in to collect a blood sample and we'll check it out." David promised. "Meanwhile, I think she should be kept under observation rather than going home."

"She's not going to like that," Jon advised, "and I can monitor her better than most people."

"Yes, but what if she has a critical episode? She'd be better off here." David insisted. "You know I'm right about this."

"Yeah, I know you are. It's just convincing Rose that's going to be a challenge."

"Convince Rose of what?" Jackie stood behind them, worry creasing her brow.

Jon heaved a big sigh and turned to face her. He really didn't want to have to try to explain this to Jackie and worry her, perhaps unneccessarily, but at the same time he knew she was his biggest ally when it came to Rose's well-being.

"Rose seemes to be going through some... unexpected changes... we think she's adapting to the baby's needs, and we don't know what to expect or if she's in any real danger. We'd like to keep her here in the Torchwood facility for monitoring."

"For how long?" Jackie asked.

Jon shrugged. "Unfortunately, we have no idea. I've never dealt with this situation before, and I have no idea what to expect."

Jackie gave David a pointed look and, smart man that he was, he took the hint and went off to arrange the blood test, leaving the two of them alone in the hallway.

"Is that why she was so sick this mornin'?"

"I think so."

"But she seems fine now."

Jon sighed. "Her temperature is dropping and her body chemistry is changing. I don't know how much, or why for sure, or if it will hurt her." Jackie saw his eyes fill a bit.

"Is there somethin' you're not tellin' me?"

"No," he assured her, "that's as much as any of us know right now."

"But somethin' else is troubling you, isn't it?" Jackie searched his face. In all the time she'd known him in his various bodies, the only time she'd ever seen him this worried was in the Crucible.

"I'm just a bit frustrated is all," he admitted.

"'Bout what?"

He studied Jackie for a moment, wondering if he should share this with her. _Well, why not?_ he thought. The longer he knew Jackie the closer they got, and the more he respected her. He had grown to realise she was a lot smarter and stronger than he'd ever given her credit for. No wonder Rose was so marvelous.

"If I had just two things," he began somewhat bitterly, "my sonic, and the TARDIS, none of this would be a concern. The TARDIS would be able to monitor Rose constantly, and if I needed to, I could take the baby from her and the TARDIS could provide a loom for it to grow in. Without the TARDIS," he concluded, "I'm just so... hamstrung. _Helpless_, even." With that, a lone tear escaped and rolled down his cheek.

Jackie knew someone who needed mothering when she saw it. She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Jon, and hugged him tightly. "Listen you plum," she began, "you're the man who can always figure things out. You'll figure this out, too, I know you will."

Jon hugged her back with his chin resting on her head. "Never in a thousand years would I ever have thought Jackie Tyler would be talking sense into me."

"That's more like it!" Jackie released him and punched him gently in the arm. "Now get back in there with your wife, Tony's askin' about ya."


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After her lunch had been delivered and she'd had a chance to eat and catch up with her secretary, Jon told Rose about what they had found was going on with her physically, and that she needed to stay for observation. Rose took the news of her confinement to the Torchwood medical bay better than anyone expected she would. Truth be told, she wanted some time alone to see if she really was able to talk to her baby, without anyone around to suspect her of going daft. She spent the rest of the afternoon and evening playing with Tony, eating the pizza that Jon ordered in, and generally having fun with her family until everyone had to leave. Jon kissed her deeply and made her promise to call him the moment she felt she might be taking ill, or even if she was just lonely.

After she had bid everyone goodnight and had settled comfortably into her hospital bed, she reached over and opened the drawer of the night table and drew out the Bible that had been placed there. She didn't open it, she just held it to her chest. She didn't know why, but doing that had always brought her comfort, even as a child. She leaned back against the pillows, closed her eyes, and breathed deeply through her nose as Jon had taught her to, to enable a meditative state. She concentrated on relaxing every muscle in her body, then slowly searched her mind for the thread of thought that was her baby's.

They were walking in a park, hand-in-hand. Arianna looked to be about 5 years old. She positively glowed in the afternoon sun. Her hair was shiny platinum blond, and she was wearing a sundress and sandals. She skipped along with her mother, often looking up at Rose and flashing a brilliant smile. They walked along like this for awhile, not saying anything, but simply enjoying the day and being together. They eventually came to a beach, and saw a man building something in the sand. He was oblivious to their presence, and Arianna motioned for her mother to lean down so that she could whisper in her ear.

"Shh... that's my Daddy. He mustn't know we're here."

Rose pulled back and stared at her daughter wide-eyed, but said nothing. Arianna held her finger up to her lips, and then motioned for her to watch the man. They crept slowly up behind him, but stayed about 10 meters away. Rose recognized the Doctor. They watched as he worked, building some kind of machine out of bits and odds and ends of things scattered about him.

Rose leaned down and whispered in Arianna's ear, "What's he doing?"

Arianna whispered cautiously, "He's building a machine to get back to you."

Rose was stunned. "But he can't," she whispered, "he'll tear apart Time and Space!"

"He doesn't think so, and he's got help."

"Who?" Rose searched her mind for anyone who was that advanced and came up with no one.

Arianna looked at her sympathetically. "I can't say," she whispered, "I'm not allowed. But he will come here. We'll all be together."

"All of us?" Rose whispered in shock, "Even your d... - even Jon?"

"All of us," Arianna promised wisely, "but not the way you think. He needs us. All of us."

With that Arianna and John Smith vanished and Rose was left alone on the beach.

Rose woke up with a start. What could all this mean? She looked at the Bible she was now clutching to her chest and opened it, not seeking anything in particular, but simply wanting to look at something, anything to get the image of John Smith and his machine out of her head.

The Bible had opened to the second chapter of Luke, and Rose read about all the things said about the baby Jesus and how his mother treasured them in her heart. She put the Bible away, and then gently rubbed her belly and told her child,

"You are _my_ treasure."

With that she went to sleep.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jon settled in that evening expecting a lonely night in front of the telly. It was the very first time, since being stranded here by his brother, that he and Rose had been separated. He wasn't sure who he felt worse for – Rose, or himself. She'd faced his request to remain at the Torchwood Med Bay bravely, seeing the sense in having medical personnel to keep an eye on her. Frankly, he'd expected more of a fight on her part. Although he'd initially been relieved, he was now wondering if she hadn't told him something. Was she, perhaps, more tired or sick than she'd told him? He almost panicked, before realising that Torchwood would have contacted him if anything had happened.

He was just starting to think about snacking when the buzzer sounded, alerting him to someone at the security gate. It was Pete and David.

"Hey you git," David's voice came over the intercon, "We have pizza and beer. Let us in!"

Never one to argue with the offer of free food and beer, even though he had earlier already had pizza, Jon pressed the button and let them in. Soon they were all gathered 'round the telly. All three of them wolfed down 2 slices of pizza, one beer, and let loose a good belch before getting to the point.

Jon started. "So," he began, "I expect this isn't strictly a social call."

"Well, mostly it is personal," Pete started. "Jax was concerned about you, and wanted us to talk to you."

"Oh?" Jon was a bit startled. Jackie was more concerned about him than she was about Rose?

"Yeah, she said you were frustrated about not having a sonic screwdriver or a TARDIS."

"Well," Jon admitted, "I am. As much as I have helped Torchwood improve their facilities, they are not, and never will be, a match for a sentient TARDIS."

"OK," Pete allowed, "but why don't you build another sonic screwdriver? I mean, how hard can it be?"

Jon gave him a look that was both rather disdainful and pitying. "Being a sonic screwdriver was the least of its abilities," he tried to explain. "It was really so much more, I built magnoencephalographic abilities into it, so that it could literally read my mind, it also housed periodic tables of every known solar system, entire medical libraries of every known species, plus technological libraires for each of them, enabling me to use, unlock, diagnose, and fix just about every bit of biomatter or technology in the universe. Have you any idea how very complex such an instrument is? No, of course not, you're much too immature a race to fathom such things, but trust me, it isn't as easy as I made it look." He stopped, realising he'd probably said too much. Had Rose been here, she'd have given him a subtle kick to let him know when to shut up. Rassilon, he missed her!

"I stand corrected," Pete said, with just enough of a cheeky grin to make Jon wonder if he didn't already have a grasp on the complexity of a sonic screwdriver.

"So David," Jon asked, "have you learned anything more about Rose's condition?"

David nodded. "She is still in a state of flux. Her DNA is becoming more Gallifreyan every minute. I don't know how far it will go, or if it will last after childbirth. If she were fully human, I'd be worried about her low body temperature and higher blood pressure. But, she seems to be adapting rather well, except for the odd bout of severe nausea."

Jon nodded. "And what about the amniocentesis?"

David hesitated, taking time to construct his reply carefully, something which was not lost on Jon or Pete. "The baby appears to be fully Gallifreyan, at least according to all the data we have at our disposal." _Which_, Jon thought, _is the data they have gathered from samples of my own DNA and that of my brother's when he was here. _How they had gotten his brother's DNA was still unknown to him. He knew, of course, of the sample he'd gotten from Rose after her dream-state encounter with his brother, but he'd gathered more than just a hint that they had gotten a previous sample as well.

"How is that possible?" Pete asked. "Her mother is human – or at least mostly so, at least she was when she conceived this baby."

David looked at Jon when he answered, "We can't say, not without a better understanding of Gallifreyan reproduction."

Jon shook his head. "I don't have a good grasp on Loom technology, I'm sorry. If I had a TARDIS I could probably have that data pulled from its genetic memory, but I don't. Hence my frustration that Jackie told you about."

"But you've had children before, didn't you ask, or didn't you take it upon yourself to learn about it?" David insisted.

Jon just shook his head as he tried to explain. "You have to understand Gallifreyan society. At the time, I approached fatherhood much as my father before me did. Which is to say, I was abysmally lacking in concern." He registered the surprise in both Pete and David's features. "It wasn't until late in my first life that I realised what an idiot I'd been, and what an opportunity I'd missed. That's essentially why I stole the TARDIS and my granddaughter Susan, and took her travelling with me. I wanted her to see that there was - " he paused, searching for the right word, but unable to find it, " ... more," he finished lamely.

"You _stole_ your TARDIS?!" Pete exclaimed, David's wide eyes echoing his sentiment.

Jon grinned cheekily. "Yep -p!"

Pete and David grinned simultaneously. Jon was relieved to realise he'd just risen even higher in their estimations – which were pretty high to begin with. He let out a long-needed breath and grabbed another piece of now-cold pizza, needing something to occupy himself with while he calculated the risks and benefits of what he'd just admitted to.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Rose had a surprisingly restful night, only woken by the visits from the medical personnel monitoring her. Even though she couldn't wait to tell Jon about the baby's ability to communicate with her, and she was concerned about the Doctor in the other universe, she was able to put that aside and sleep well. She woke up unusually early (for her) but well-rested. She actually had time to shower and put makeup on before breakfast was served. As she was eating, Jon popped in.

Jon was astounded to see her up, about, and coherent. "Alll-rrriiigghht... who are you, and what have you done with my wife!?"

She laughed with delight as he came over and kissed her more thoroughly than a morning kiss usually warranted.

"Did you miss me?" she joked.

"Oh yes!" he replied enthusiastically. Then, more seriously, "How was your night?"

"Wonderful!"

"Really?" he pouted. "And here I thought you woulldn't be able to sleep without me. But of course, if memory serves me correctly – and it usually does - sleep was one thing you've never had a hard time doing..." He stopped abruptly as she batted him across the head firmly yet gently.

"Belt up already, I have something to tell ya!"

"Oh, sorry. Go on." He tried to look contrite.

"I can talk with the baby!"

Jon's eyes went wide. "Really?" He sat down on the side of the bed and took her hands excitedly. "Tell me all about it!"

She filled him in on the impressions she had during her waking hours, and the dream she'd had during the night.

"What do you think it means?" She asked him, referring to the dream, furrowing her brow.

"I can't imagine," Jon replied, "the only beings I know of who might be able to help him get to this universe are dead. Those being the Time Lord High Council or the Master."

"That's what I thought, too!' exclaimed Rose.

"But there's no denying that very, very strange things have been happening, all centered around the Doctor and this child. Things that should be impossible have happened, not the least of which is your baby's very existence and her ability to communicate with you. I wouldn't try it anymore, Rose, it may burn her out. Give her time to develop properly."

"What if she initiates contact?"

"I'd urge her not to. There'll be plenty of time for her to talk after she's born and has time to develop physically.'

"But _you_ talk to her all the time." Rose pouted.

"Not telepathically. I just don't want anything to happen to her." He squeezed Rose's hand, then leaned down and said to her stomach, "Hear that, Arianna? No more telepathy 'til after you're born!"

Rose felt a flutter and laughed. "I think she just flipped you off."

"Oi! None of that now, young lady!"

Just then David and Martha walked into the room.

"How are you this morning?" David asked Rose, while Martha picked up her chart and reviewed it.

"Great! When can I go home?"

David smiled. "That depends on how your body behaves itself over the next few days. How well did you sleep last night?"

"Very well, thanks, and I woke up very refreshed."

"Any nausea, or anything else I should know about?"

Rose shot Jon a sidelong glance as she primly replied, "Nope."

David listened to Rose's breathing, checked her pulse, and then looked at Martha questioningly.

"Her vitals seem to have stabilized overnight, no significant changes in the last 12 hours." Martha reported.

"Rose, you have to understand that none of us, even your husband, have ever dealt with this particular situation. We don't know what to expect, and we'd never forgive ourselves if anything happened to you because we weren't on top of it." David looked at her earnestly. "So please don't fight this."

"Alright. I'll stay 'til Friday, but after that, if I feel like it, I'm goin' home." Rose folded her arms across her chest, indicating her mind was made up. David looked to Jon, who just shrugged.

"Alright then, 'til Friday it is – unless you get sick again. Deal?"

"Deal!"

After David and Martha left, Jon leaned over and kissed her saying, "I've got to go off to work, is there anything I can get you?"

"Yeah, Baby wants peanut butter and bananas. _Ripe_ bananas."

Jon laughed and promised to bring some.

After he'd gone, Rose rubbed her stomach and asked, "Could it reallt hurt you, communicating with me?" She felt a _Maybe_ in her thoughts. "Then Jon's right, we won't do that again unless it's absolutely necessary, OK?" _OK_.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_Author's note – I edited previous chapters to take the 11th Doctor out of the story until the end. I wasn't going to bring him in as early as I did originally, and I decided to go back to that original plan. Hope I don't confuse too many folks._

The Doctor was excited. He'd figured it all out – well, almost all of it. Avoiding the prophecy, getting Rose back, and having a family. One thing he hadn't quite figured out was what to do with his clone. The other was the amount of power he'd need to power the UCM – Universe Crossing Machine. If he used the TARDIS, he'd cripple her. Something he was _not_ prepared to do unless there was no other way.

He'd been designing and building the UCM in a room in the TARDIS that was a beach, deliberately similar to _Dårlig Ulv Stranden_ – Bad Wolf Bay. It inspired him, it gave him hope, one of his favorite emotions, and one he'd been lacking lately - that is until he hit upon his brilliant (even if he did say so himself, and he did) plan to cross into the alternate universe and rescue his Rose.

The UCM was complete. Once he came up with an alternate power source, he'd be ready to go. While he figured that out, he had gone out and about and had some fun. Now, it was time to go to the Ood and see what they wanted. Ood Sigma's calling was distracting, once he settled that, he'd be able to concentrate better and come up with the solution to the power issue.

"Breathe, Rose, breathe!" Jon reminded her, squeezing her arm and panting along with her.

"Oh shut up, I _am_ breathin'!" Her water broke as if it were jet propelled, soaking Dr. David Johnson.

"She's on her way, push Rose!" David exclaimed. "Jon, get down here!"

Jackie took Jon's place at Rose's side as Martha threw Jon some sterile towels, one of which he gave to David to wipe off with, the others he gathered as he prepared to catch the baby.

"Alright Rose, whenever you're ready!" he called.

"_Aaaaauuuuuugggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!_" She yelled, going along with the urge to push, and bearing down with all her might.

"Atta girl, Rose, she's crowning, keep it up!" Jon called.

The contraction ended. "Now hold her there, Sweetie," Jackie coached, Rose nodded silently as she worked to hold the baby in position and catch her breath. Relief flooded over her as the pain from transition disappeared and she caught her second wind. She opened her eyes to see Jon peering over the cover sheet, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're doing _fantastic_!" he crowed.

She nodded, then yelled, "_HERE SHE COMES!_" as she felt the next wave coming on, then bore down as if her life depended on it. Jackie slipped her arm around her daughter's shoulders, helping her bear down. Arianna's head emerged, then one shoulder, which Jon grabbed in his gloved hands and he firmly but gently pulled, helping his wife. Arianna slipped out, guided into the towels on Jon's lap. Leaving the cord attached, Jon scooped up the precious package and placed her on her mother's heaving stomach as Rose finished delivering the afterbirth and David took over cleaning things up. Jon went to Rose's other side and cut the cord as Jackie kissed her daughter and together they cried tears of joy. Arianna also started crying, gustily. Jon supported Arianna's shoulders as Martha cleared her airways more, and Rose was finally able to see her daughter's face. Pete came forward from where he'd been waiting near the door, and all celebrated the new birth.

As they all gathered in a group hug, a curious golden fog selectively enveloped Rose, Arianna, and Jon. Arianna's navel healed and the birthing mess cleared off her skin as if she'd had a bath. Rose suddenly felt as if the previous 12 hours of labor had never happened. David exclaimed as he saw her heal in front of his eyes, as if she'd never given birth. The only one of the three apparently unaffected was Jon. The fog dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Everyone looked around, bewildered.

"Weellll... let's not sit around staring at each other, we have a new life to celebrate!" Jon exclaimed.

"Where's the champagne?"

As they prepared to have a toast for the new life, Jackie asked, "What will you name her?

"Arianna." Rose and Jon said in unison.

"Arianna?" Jackie asked, "It's a lovely name! What does it mean?"

"Welll... it's really quite brilliant, she named herself."

"What? How did she do that? Rose? What does he mean?" Jackie retorted.

Rose grinned, sticking her tongue out the corner of her mouth, and gazing into the innocent but wise golden eyes of her daughter.

"She can talk to me telepathically, Mum."

Jackie was temporarily speechless, but after letting that morsel sink in, managed to blurt out, "So what does it mean?"

Jon helpfully expained the origins of the name. "Well you see, Ariannous is one of the rarest elements in the universe. Millions of tonnes of ore have to be refined to get a single ounce of it. It has the unique ability to make the matter it is combined with – any matter at all, mind you – sensitive to psychic energy. It gives the things that are made from it various abilities, depending on the intentions of the person creating them." He looked at Rose. "Remind you of anything?"

"Psychic paper!"

"Yep -p! Anything else you can think of?"

She frowned for a moment, then realisation dawned on her. "The TARDIS!"

"Right again! A TARDIS has to have Ariannous in its makeup so that it can bond with its master. It also gives it the ability to adjust itself physically to the needs of its crew."

"Are you saying that this stuff can make matter sentient?" Pete asked, trying to wrap his mind around the concept.

"Oh no, no, no," Jon assured him, "sentience requires intelligence, either biological or artificial. Ariannous simply gives the ability to reflect the intentions of the user."

"Where is it found?" Pete inquired.

"Nowhere you currently can get to." Jon assured him.

"Which reminds me," Pete said, pulling Jon aside and talking barely above a whisper, "how is the fleet coming? When can we test our first ship?"

"Soon," Jon promised. "We're just months away."

"C'mon you two," Jackie called, "It's New Year's Day, no business today, it's time to celebrate!"

Jackie got the glasses together while Pete opened and poured the champagne, and together they all celebrated the beginning of a new year and a new life.

"To Arianna!" Jon exclaimed, holding his glass high.

"_To Arianna!_"

"Happy New Year!"

"_Happy New Year!_"


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue

It was a beautiful, snowy, peaceful January morning. Rose and Jon had taken family leave so they could be home and bond with their baby. Although she was similar in size and shape as a human child, her motor skills and intellect were well beyond that of a newborn human. Only a little over 3 weeks old, she was already crawling, sitting up, babbling, and smiling. She didn't sleep as much as most babies, but she ate twice as much.

"All in all, a normal Time Lord baby!" Jon pronounced, quite often, and delightedly. Still, Rose sometimes worried a bit, she knew him better than anyone else in the universe, and she felt he regretted not being Arianna's true father. It was an odd feeling she got when she saw them gazing into each other's eyes, that there was something missing somehow, though it was obvious they loved each other.

Jon's Torchwood cellphone rang, and he frowned a bit as he picked it up.

"Pete," he acknowledged, then his eyes went wide as he listened. "Describe it to me." He listened carefully. "No, it's harmless." He listened some more. "Alright, we'll be expecting you – bring Jackie, too," he added. He snapped the phone shut and looked at Rose. "Something landed last night at Bad Wolf Bay that we should take a look at. Pete's bringing it here."

"You know what it is?" Rose asked.

"Yes, it sounds like a transdimensional delivery box. It has a message recorded, asking the finder to bring it to us."

"From the Doctor." Rose stated it factually, as who else could it be from? Jon nodded.

"How could he get it here?" Rose asked, "I thought travel between dimesnsions was impossible?"

"As the universe expands, little cracks develop here and there. Something very small could make the trip." Jon answered.

They quickly dressed and waited for the item's arrival. They hadn't long to wait, and soon Pete, Jackie, and Jake Simmonds were at the door with the box. Jon welcomed them, but looked askance at Jake's presence. Jake was head of Torchwood security now.

"Just in case." Pete explained.

They put Arianna in her crib in the nursery, then took the box inside the laboratory. Jon pressed the button on the outside and listened to the recording directing the finder to contact Dr Jonathan Noble-Storm and Rose Tyler, care of Vitex, or their family. The voice didn't sound familiar to anyone but Jon.

"That's not the Doctor's voice." Pete volunteered.

"Yes, it is, actually. I've regenerated." Jon answered. Everyone in the room stared at him. He shrugged. "We Time Lords can always recognize each other." He slid his fingers down each side of the box, finding indentations, pressed them simultaneously, and stepped back.

A hologram appeared in the space Jon had been standing. The image was that of a tall, slim, young man, with an unruly shock of dark brown hair, kind, timeless blue/grey eyes, and wearing the brown trenchcoat.

"Hello Jon and Rose." He paused. "As you can see, I've regenerated. I didn't want to, but now that I have, I understand why it had to happen. A lot has come to pass since we last saw each other. I won't go into it now, but before I regenerated, I copied my personality into a fob watch, which is in the box, along with a few other items I should have left with you before.

"Suffice it to say, I got stupid after I left you. I did things I regret now, reckless things. I did good things, too, but I clearly was losing my perspective.

"You see, I was alone. I thought it would be better that way, but it wasn't. As Donna would say, I need someone to tell me when to stop. I won't make that mistake again.

"So Rose, don't worry about me being alone. I won't be anymore. I'll make sure of it.

"And Jon, it's up to you whether you want to use the watch or not. I only copied my personality, along with the associated memories, into it, not my Time Lord essence. I thought you should have it, though, since you're him, it's my hope that it helps you to see and experience what I went through, I know you're worried about the darkness within you. Don't be. You have the strength within you to overcome it. Besides, you'll want to see Donna's wedding," he said with a wink.

"I'm going to move on now, and leave my previous lives and companions behind as much as I possibly can. You've all done enough for the universes, you deserve to lead your own lives without my interference. Tell our daughter I love her, and have a fantastic life."

The projection disappeared and the box opened. It was bigger on the inside. On top lay the fob watch, and a sonic screwdriver. There was also something carefully wrapped in paper. Jon took it out with shaking hands, not daring to hope...

... In the parcel was a piece of coral and a small vial. Carefully Jon closed the parcel back up and placed it inside the lab refrigerator and locked it. His eyes met Rose's and she understood he didn't want to discuss the items in front of the others. He placed the fob watch and the sonic screwdriver on the table and took out the next item. It was his brown trenchcoat. He lifted it to his face and inhaled deeply. It smelled of home. He handed it to Rose and she hugged it to herself. He took out the final item. It was his blue pinstriped suit. He placed it on the table and picked up the fob watch and looked at it thoughtfully. He met Rose's eyes.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked softly.

"Will you still be you?" she asked. "Because if not, I'd rather you didn't."

He nodded. "I'll still be me," he smiled, "just more so."

"I mean," Rose put a hand on his arm and searched his eyes, "what about the Donna in you? I love you just the way you are. I don't want you to change."

Jon cupped her face with his palm. "I promise I won't. I am who I am, Rose. I'll always be your Jon. But he's always been part of me, too, and now he can finally have that adventure he never thought he would. May I give that to him? As long as I promise to always be here?"

The tears spilled out of Rose's eyes. "How can I say no to that?" She hugged Jon tightly. "just remember your promise," she said through her tears.

"I will. Don't be afraid, Rose, this will be a good thing. I promise." He looked around at everyone in the room. "I'm retiring to the bedroom. I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to be alone for this." He gathered up the blue pinstriped suit, and left.

"What was in the paper, Rose?" Pete asked.

She smiled, wiping her face. "A little piece of home, I think," she replied. It was true enough.

"Let's go to the livingroom," Jackie suggested. "Rose, why don't you and I get some refreshments for everyone?" She knew it would be best to keep her daughter occupied.

Jon placed the suit on the bed, then sat down next to it and gazed at the fob watch for a few moments. "Alright," he said to himself, "here we go." He opened the watch. He gasped as the force of the personality hit him. Every memory, every emotion, every action rolled over him, in him, through him. They permeated his being, overwhelming him at first, as he relived everything that happened to his brother as if it had happened to him. Indeed it had, as he absorbed his brother and became him.

The Doctor opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He recognized this room. It was Jon's - no, _his_ bedroom. The bedroom he shared with his beloved Rose. _I just want to see her one time before we finish assimilating, _he thought. Then, _No, it will be too hard._ _We need to share from the beginning. Yes._

He laid back on the bed and allowed the process to complete.

The family was gathered in the livingroom as he quietly stood in the doorway and drank the scene in with new, yet the same, eyes. His one heart almost felt like it would burst as he lovingly watched _his_ family. Arianna was the first to notice him.

"Da-Da." She smiled and pointed as she sat on the floor with her mother. Everyone froze and stared as he walked over and scooped her up, holding her close.

"Hello," he said to _his_ daughter through the joyful tears that streamed down his face. Rose slowly stood up, giving them a moment, then touched his cheek. He turned and wrapped an arm around _his_ wife, holding her close. He could barely believe it, this was _his_ life, too, now.

"This is it," he told Rose, "I am complete now. _This_ is _our_ fantastic life. This is _our_ reward."

In the other universe, the Doctor stood in front of the doorway of the UCM room. "Well old girl, how about sealing off this room so no one else can see it or get into it. I won't destroy it, but I won't ever use it either, not unless the fate of the universes depends upon it." The TARDIS dutifully hid the room and locked it.

"Now what do you say we get on with our lives, old girl? There are repairs to make and adventures to be had." She agreed.


End file.
